Experimental analysis of an innovative prosthetic hand with proprioceptive sensors

— This paper presents an underactuated artificial hand intended for functional replacement of the natural hand in upper limb amputees. The natural hand has three basic functionalities: grasping, manipulation and exploration. To accomplish the goal of restoring these capabilities by implanting an artificial hand, two fundamental steps are necessary: to develop an artificial hand equipped with artificial proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensors and to fabricate an appropriate interface able to exchange sensory-motor signals with the amputee’s body and the central nervous system. In order to address these objectives, we have studied an underactuated hand according to a biomimetic approach, and we have exploited robotic and microengineering technologies to design and fabricate its building blocks. The architecture of the hand comprises the following modules: an actuator system embedded in the underactuated mechanical structure (artificial muscoskeletal system), a proprioceptive se...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Maria Chiara Carrozza, Fabrizio Vecchi, F. Sebastiani, Giovanni Cappiello, Stefano Roccella, Massimiliano Zecca, Roberto Lazzarini, Paolo Dario
• Keywords: Artificial Hand, ICRA 2003, Natural Hand, Robotics, Sensory System